


A Thousand Paper Cranes

by Kimikochan



Category: Veronica Mars (Movie 2014), Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9375755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimikochan/pseuds/Kimikochan
Summary: Veronica Mars is back at Neptune High in search of a thousand paper cranes.





	

“Congratulations. You have a thousand followers.”

Veronica eyed her friend skeptically over the computer screen.

“That’s impossible,” the private detective said. “I’m not on social media.”

Mac entered the office and rounded Veronica’s desk, tapping on the laptop keyboard. “See for yourself.”

Sure enough. The nice, round figure flashed in the corner of a familiar [Tumblr profile](http://vmheadquarters.tumblr.com/).

“Remember the fake account I created for your fraud case last year? I thought it might come in handy again, so I never deleted it,” Mac said. “You’re popular … for a lurker.”

“Kids these days,” a low voice intoned. “They’ll follow any hack with a smart phone.”

Logan smirked at them from the doorway. Dressed in Navy whites that showed off his golden tan and well-muscled body, he cut an impressive figure.

His handsome features softened into a tender smile, and her heart quickened.

Logan was finally home after four months at sea, and they were still adjusting to sharing a tiny apartment again.

He left the toilet seat up. His early runs with Pony woke her more often than not, and she kept forgetting to call when she had to work late.

None of those things mattered when she came home every night to find him waiting for her, silently offering his unwavering love and devotion.

And then there was the mind-blowing sex.

“Hey, sailor,” she said, returning his adoring smile.

“Hi.”

Mac cleared her throat, heading for the exit. “Have fun today, you two,” she said, her tone teasing.

The door clicked behind her and Logan crossed the room in three strides, pulling Veronica into a long, lingering kiss. When they finally broke apart, she grinned up at him.

“You ready for this, Lt. Echolls?”

“ _Fuck_ no.”

**********

Logan fidgeted with the collar of his uniform, scanning the quad for the Navy recruiter.

Wallace had guilted Veronica into participating in Neptune High’s career fair. He’d roped Logan by enlisting the help of their old history professor, Dr. Galway, who’d pulled a few strings with Navy Command.

“I’ll give you a thousand bucks to get me out of this,” Logan cajoled.

“You’ve already been cleared for take-off,” Wallace replied. “Relax. What could possibly go wrong?”

“ _Mr. Echolls_.”

They turned to see Principal Clemons and an older man dressed in a Navy uniform identical to Logan’s with more medals. Logan snapped to attention, saluting the senior officer.

“Excuse me, _Lieutenant_ Echolls,” Clemons corrected himself. “Mr. Fennell is right. It’s not like I’m going to find a _bong_ in your locker.”

Logan shot a glance at Veronica, clenching his jaw. “It wasn’t mine, sir.”

“That’s what they all say,” she said, smiling innocently.

At lunch, Wallace found Logan and Veronica eating at their old table. He slid in beside her.

“I need your help,” he said.

Raising her eyebrows, she pointed at the Mars Investigations booth with her plastic fork. “That’s me, helping you. Anything else comes with a $1,000 retainer.”

“Or I could start charging for every file … ”

“... Fine. What d’you want?”

Wallace led them to the art room, where an Asian American girl with crimson streaks in her hair sat slumped in a chair. A large storage container lay empty on the table in front of her.

“You remember Hamilton Cho? This is his cousin, May. She lost something.”

“What?” Veronica asked.

“A thousand paper cranes,” May replied.

She was working on a sculpture using _origami_ cranes folded by family and friends for her sister’s wedding last year. The piece was supposed to be part of her application to a San Francisco art academy, but that morning the birds had disappeared from their plastic coop.

“I thought _sembazuru_ was Japanese. Aren’t you Chinese?” Logan asked.

May glanced at him. “My sister married a Japanese guy, and they wanted a wedding that ‘reflected a blend of traditions.’ Apparently, cranes are a symbol of love and longevity in both cultures because they mate for life.”

“Why a thousand?” Veronica asked, but the teen merely shrugged sullenly.

“Cranes are considered holy creatures that live for a thousand years,” Logan chimed in. “If you fold 1,000 paper cranes, it will carry your prayers to heaven and grant your wish.”

Veronica turned to May. “Who’d want to steal yours?”

She should’ve know in Neptune, where corruption and greed flourish behind a picturesque facade, even the theft of worthless paper birds would have no shortage of suspects.

Aidan, another art student competing for a spot at the same art academy, had motive and means to sabotage May.

Last week, a cheerleader named Hayley Olson had taunted May with nasty comments on her blog, prompting an IRL fight on the quad.

Even Duke Wade, the part-time art instructor had jealously coveted her place in an upcoming gallery show.

As they headed towards the office to check on Aidan’s whereabouts, Veronica glanced at Logan quizzically. “How do you know so much about origami?”

“I was stationed in Okinawa for a couple months. This park in Hiroshima has a monument to a girl who died from leukemia after being exposed to radiation from the atom bomb. She folded cranes hoping to live.

“Now the paper crane is a symbol of peace. People leave thousands at her statue.”

The school receptionist told them Aidan was absent. A quick call home confirmed he was sick with the flu. They caught the art teacher as he was loading a large canvas into a black SUV.

“Why would I steal a student’s arts-and-craft project? I sold four pieces for one grand each last month,” Mr. Wade growled, before speeding away.

They found Hayley, a perky redhead, passing out flyers for an upcoming blood drive. Her megawatt smile vanished at the mention of May.

 “I’m juggling, like, a _thousand_ different things right now. I don’t have time to steal her stupid birds,” she said, angrily shoving a stack of flyers into her bag. One fluttered to the floor.

“What’s your beef with May?” Veronica asked.

“It’s nothing,” Hayley shrugged, flushing. “We used to be friends .... a long time ago. We fought over a guy, okay?”

She flounced off, and Logan picked up the flyer, his eyebrows rising as he handed it to Veronica. It was a brochure for Be the Match, a national bone marrow donor program. The blood drive was also a push to find a donor for eight year-old leukemia patient Adam Olson.

They saw Hayley vanish into the girls’ restroom, and Veronica slipped in behind her. Soft cries emanated from behind a closed stall. “Hayley, tell me about Adam.”

“... H-he’s my brother.” Between sobs, the girl told Veronica how her brother had read the story of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes. Together, they learned origami to keep him busy, but the sicker he got, the more he clung to them for hope.

“I know it’s stupid. It’s not like they’re really gonna save him. But when I saw all those cranes just sitting on the table ...” She sniffled loudly. “May is gonna _hate_ me.”

Veronica handed her a tissue. “I think she’ll understand.”

The cheerleader retrieved the stolen cranes from her car, and they trudged back to the art room. Veronica was right. As May listened, her angry scowl was replaced with sympathy.

Picking up a bird made from blue and white washi paper, the artist’s face slowly brightened. “Maybe they _can_ save Adam.”

**********

May unveiled her interactive, multimedia piece at a downtown gallery two weeks later.

A thousand still images flashed on a screen depicting people from all walks of life, young and old, of varying ethnicities, each holding a single green origami crane. The last photo featured a grinning, red-headed boy with freckles, holding a sign that read: _We all got tested to Be the Match. Have you?_

"Looks like you solved a case and brokered peace," Wallace said.

Veronica watched Hayley and May laughing together, and she smiled before turning to Logan and Wallace.

Just then Hayley squealed, waving her phone excitedly in May’s face.

“Oh my god! You just hit 1,000 followers!”

**Author's Note:**

> Congratulations VMHeadquarters for reaching such a momentous milestone! Thanks for all the fun games, posts and challenges.


End file.
